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Find Victory This Year with 4 Secure and Sturdy Steps
I lost my job in March.
I’ve kind of alluded to it quietly in the background here a few times over the last few weeks, but today I am finally ready to talk about it openly.
I am currently unemployed. This means I am spending a great deal of time in my pajamas and fuzzy socks.
Confession: I am not really that upset about it today. I have had some time to process.
On my unexpected last day of employment, I called my husband to let him know I’d need his strong arms to help me carry several boxes and my broken heart home. He arrived 90 minutes later carrying empty containers and a great deal of wisdom.
“So, what?” he said. “See, now you are a writer.”
I was not amused. Sure, I love writing here in this space and for Love God Greatly and now for First 5. I love teaching the Word and and encouraging weary women to stay in the fight.
But, I also love my 401K, my health insurance, and my bank account. I’ve worked at a 9 to 5 job every day for 29 years. Losing my job due to budget cutbacks at the university felt like a failure to me in every way.
Sometimes you need a little nudge to step forward in faith. I like to call it a divine kick in the pants. God knew I’d never quit my job to actually do what made my heart come alive, so He just handled that for me.
God is not really interested in my comfort.
So, my friends, I am an unemployed writer, and I’ve never been happier in my life. I am also fighting fear on a daily basis and asking God to help me walk forward with His help.
I am sharing my very scary God story in case you are currently sitting in your living room reading this and relating to my fear of the unknown. Perhaps you are wondering “What on earth is God doing by allowing this to happen to me?” Maybe your marriage is ending, or your prodigal child has not called you in 4 weeks. Perhaps you are single and wondering why God doesn’t send you a husband like yesterday. Life in this broken world is heartbreaking some days.
How do we move from victim to victory? I’ve discovered a few things over the last 8 weeks, and I want to share them with you today. Keep in mind that although these 4 steps are simple to say, they are hard to live out. Moving toward freedom in Christ means we can’t hide out in our pajamas forever. At some point, we must get up off the couch and put on our big girl pants.
4 Secure and Sturdy Steps to Victory
Leave behind condemnation
Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy of your soul. Greater things are yet to come. God is not finished fulfilling His faithful promises in your life.
“With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2, MSG)
Turn from regret
Take time to grieve your losses, but don’t over linger in your sorrow. Today is a new day with new hope. Don’t miss out on the beauty that lies ahead because you are looking back at the brokenness of yesterday.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV)
Stand in Surrender
Open up your heart to whatever God has for you ahead. View every day as an opportunity to partner with Him and walk through new doors with hands and heart open and ready to receive. He can’t fill your life with good things if you don’t lift up empty hands to Him.
“I will lift up my hands toward Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes. Remember Your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your promise gives me life.” (Psalm 119:48-50, ESV).
Move with Trust
You can move forward fully trusting that God holds your tomorrow. He goes before you, and every step you take is covered by His grace. As you wait for clear direction, worship the One who will speak and reveal His wonderful plans to you very soon. If it’s quiet in your life right now, remember to be still and listen for His voice. This season of waiting is where you will see His face in a fresh way.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)
To help you get started on this journey toward surrender, I’m sharing a copy of my 30-Day Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to strengthen your step and breathe fresh wind into your weary spirit.
As we surrender our circumstances to Christ, He will step in with His peace and perfect our faith. Every inch we move forward in His direction with arms uplifted and ready to receive will be ground we can claim on our path to victory. He will reveal Himself to us in the quiet as we wait and remind us He is in control. One day soon, we will look back and see how His goodness and glory were at work during a very difficult season.
Walk forward in worship trusting your God knows the way.
Walk forward in worship trusting your God knows the way.
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